The axe hangs over Business Link
By Jason Hesse, published 197 days ago in Finance & Banking.
Shadow enterprise minister Mark Prisk has added his voice to the debate over the future of Business Link.
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Should the Tories get into power later this year, would-be small-business minister Prisk says that one of his first acts would be to scrap the organisation.
“We believe that Business Link is failing in its task,” he says. “Many surveys show that only a small proportion of businesses use it, and those that do are dissatisfied with the service they receive.”
The problem, says Prisk, is that the advisory service – which employs 1,500 staff at a cost of £190m per year – spends most of its resources directing enquiries elsewhere.
“I also take the view that you shouldn’t employ civil servants to tell small-business owners how to run their firms. Our job in government – if we are elected – will be to create the right environment for small businesses to start and grow, not for us to tinker and meddle,” adds Prisk.
Last month, Business Link was blasted by ex-Dragon Doug Richard, who published his Entrepreneur’s Manifesto.
As well as many small businesses being unhappy with the service, many others are unhappy with its cost to the taxpayer.
Commenting on Business Link, Stephen Alambritis of the Federation of Small Businesses says that although Business Link has improved, it still has “a long way to go”.
To replace the organisation, Prisk proposes that the wide range of already existing regional business and enterprise organisations ¬– which have a considerable overlap with Business Link – take over its responsibilities.
Whether or not Business Link is shut down, we believe that entrepreneurs will continue to need all the help they can get, as outlined in our ten points on Saving Britain’s Future.
What do you think? Should Business Link he abolished? Leave your comments below.
Related articles:Doug Richard: "Get rid of Business Link"Business Link bites back
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24 comments.
dandan 197 days ago.
Hello and thanks for your observation of this so called business link. I share your opinion, from my personal experience of business link in birmingham, a certain mr H..., its really a shame this programme was set up to help growth and development its actually the opposite.
hojomo 197 days ago.
Not before time!
I get the distinct feeling they got too big for their boots! Certainly got worse when they were "regionalised" here in the South West. Website is heavy going too!
All that just works AGAINST helping small businesses survive & thrive.
liam 197 days ago.
While their intentions were good, expectations have left a little to be desired.
I attended quite a few courses, and there was one particular time where I actually knew more than the tutor, and in-fact had to correct them on many occasions throughout the session as otherwise people were being supplied with out-of-date information or incorrect advice.
However on a separate note the service is free so can see why it may have missed the link!
Jo 196 days ago.
I used Business Link recently and I have to say the response was excellent - I received a detailed email with a number of useful documents attached, plus web links for details of free courses etc.
I also had a call from the representative, who was very helpful, and clearly knew his stuff.
I appreciate there are wider concerns but I for one would be sorry to see them go. I just hope that their replacement is as efficient as the service I received!
Paul Roach 196 days ago.
Anyone who has started up in business, as I did, will now that they are ineffective.
I asked them last year, under a FOI request, what their pay per click ad spend was and annually it was pushing 7 figures, let alone other costs.
The problem is they don't have enough or any entrepreneurs or people who have worked o/s of the public sector as staff.
Paul Smalley 196 days ago.
The organisation has come in for a lot of stick over the years, some of it justified and some of it possibly not.
It seems that most people's experience of Business Link has not been positive, which naturally leads to bad publicity.
However, as a business we have tried and tried again with Business Link. Some encounters have been positive, some not so - it depended on who we spoke to and what we wanted!
Having access to a 'free' resource for the 'power house' of the economy is very useful - it needs to be able to deliver every time however, which is where Business Link seems to have fallen short.
Maybe it is time for a revamp, and couldn't that money be better spent? Paul Smalley www.papermountainsolutions.co.uk
Ian Smith 196 days ago.
The word 'hopeless' springs to mind when thinking of Business Link.
Donut 196 days ago.
About time too, should have been canned years ago. They offered nothing of value to anyone who knew what they were doing, well intentioned maybe but content and execution was dire
Kerry Scott 196 days ago.
I must shout up for Business Link. I have had the same fantastic adviser for 9 years now (Hina Joshi) and her advice, support and encouragement has been invaluable.
I have had access to so much support via Business Link both financially and information wise and can say that without their help during difficult times that our company slimmingsolutions.co.uk might not still be around...
Ahas 196 days ago.
I have used B/L only to gain access to grants available from elsewhere? I think the amount of input, does not equal the output. In other words you see flash offices and sharp suites, but no real substance.They are just middlemen.
The government needs to help us directly, with grants for training staff, green initiatives, employment incentives! They should start by axing the £190m they are spending on B/Link!
We employ over fifty staff and would benefit by these initiatives!
Anne 196 days ago.
I am perhaps easily pleased, but I certainly found Business Link in Derby helpful and supportive when I started up nearly 2 years ago.
I agree that often the civil servants know very little, but the access to people with successful businesses (e.g. mentors) was invaluable to me at the time.
Fred Parker 196 days ago.
I don't agree, Business link provides an excellent service in particular the E business club is an invaluable tool to let small businesses understand the complexities of an online presence.
I feel it has done and I hope continues to assist business to prosper in a generaly austere environment.
Don't let it be axed it is wanted and needed by the vast majority of smaller concerns.
Sadie Knight 196 days ago.
I've attended some Business Link events recently which have quite informative and vaguely useful for networking.
But 8 years ago when I approached them for advice on starting up my web business I didn't really get much useful information - infact I found out more useful information on a homeworking forum than I did in the 'interview' BL provided.
I have heard positive reviews about them more recently though with their startup advice so I was hopeful it had improved.
Ben Turner 196 days ago.
I think we're missing the point here, very few small businesses would argue that support and help is valued.
Instead of scrapping a resource, why not look to make it better? Do we want a rubbish service that costs £190m per year - No! Do we want a resource that helps small businesses to grow - Yes!
Scrapping a good concept is an easy way out if there is an option to make it better. Ben Turner
Chris 196 days ago.
I would be interested to see the details of the alternatives that Mr Prisk has in mind. Are we to return to hundreds of different local support schemes creating confusion for small businesses and extra costs for taxpayers?
As for his reference to Civil Servants, this is an ill-informed comment given the fact that all the Business Link staff I know are REAL business people who can speak with authority based on business knowledge, skills and experience.
Christine Hogg 196 days ago.
It would be more useful to save the £190m and expand on the Government Departments' webpages and help lines. And please also scrap the Regional Offices, i.e. East of England Development Agency.
If the Government really wants to save money, they should reduce the sickness benefits to civil servants. I understand they have one day off sick in nine which we the tax payers are having to foot the bill.
Pooligan 196 days ago.
BL had a good if static website, and it had good and poor advisors. However it did not keep up with events and most businesses could find better advice through other sources on the internet. It is time BL was no more except possibly the web site for start ups.
Zoe Robinson 196 days ago.
I have to disagree. I have used Business Link countless times over the last three years. I have always found them to be knowledgeable, helpful and approachable.
As a small business we do not have the resources to pay for consultants and experts when we need them. This is where Business Link has been invaluable – their expertise and provision of free consultancy has helped us out of some difficult situations.
I have also found their free events and seminars really useful, particularly with regulatory compliance. I recommend them to people all the time and have yet to hear a bad word!
Claire Watt-Smith 196 days ago.
I have used BL a few times when setting up BoBelle London. I am now expanding quite rapidly and I am consequently attending a couple of meetings in the next month.
The website is user-friendly and although the service may not be the best for everyone, I think to scrap it would be a huge blunder.
We need to encourage more enrtreneurial activity and help the UK to flourish in business. Business Link offers that starting ground to small businesses and I personally would think many entrepreneurs would be let down if it was scrapped.
As many people have said, build on the positives!
Claire Watt-Smith www.bobelle.co.uk
Nigel Steele 195 days ago.
I can only agree with those who have found Business Link helpful. As someone totally new to business, launching an online directory in a very competitive market, I have really appreciated all the support from my advisor in Gloucester.
Ken Jordan 195 days ago.
Yep, agree with Ben Turner. 10 years ago, we made good use of Business Link. They had a very pro-active local team. mostly comprising retired business people. As a young company, their opinions were valued and useful.
Over the past couple of years Business Link has become regionalised and remote. Their website is good for a whole range of statutory advice. I'd be disappointed if that were dropped, but the rest can go.
Matthew Baker 195 days ago.
Business Link should certainly not be shut down - although we havent found some of them to be that useful they are always a good starting point.
The fact that they are one of my clients does not of course influence my opinion at all...
Phill Dougan 195 days ago.
Business Link have being fantastic in helping me set up badgercarleasing.com, I would never have been able to get all this information and help from any other location, to shut them down would be a crime. I will fight for BL all the way what ever it takes.
Pete 93 days ago.
Absolutely Keep BL, but improve it as there's still a need for a BL-like organisation. Think of the costs of setting up a new organisation compared to the cost of fixing this already existing org. Of course there are some great advisers there, but the service as a whole is clunky and overburdened. FIX IT PLEASE! Training for our workforce through them was a joke, so we've been using alternatives: http://www.findcourses.co.uk seems to be the best of the online course/training assimilators.